Embrace Of The Wolven
by Sapphira2
Summary: As her wolven nature struggles to awaken, & Luke’s feral desires begin to incinerate them both within the ancient initiating embrace of their kind, Sophia desperately attempts to escape the hungers of her own body... And the one who will never let her g
1. Chapter One

"Embrace of the Wolven"

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A fanfiction story based on the canceled TV series, "Wolf Lake"

Disclaimers : I make no claims to the ownership of the rights to Wolf Lake, in any form. I'm simply having fun with what was left to us by the creators after they cast the series off. I am gaining no profit in doing this project or any other fanfic, except that which benefits and flatters my author ego… In other words, reviews!!!

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Author's Note – Hey everybody! I'm BACK!! Did ya miss me??? 

Well, here it is. The first part to my awaited new WL series, and sequel to "Welcome To Wolf Lake". **(REMEMBER: This story has NOTHING to do with my Virtual Continuation. This is a completely fresh idea of taking the story left to us by the original series.)** As usual, I'm very nervous about beginning a new series, so reviews are anxiously required to reassure me that I'm on the right track! 

This will be primarily a L/S fic. There will be a bit of Ruby and John, but only because I couldn't force myself to just completely write them out of the storyline… Even so, as it is, I'll be keeping them down to a minimum…

This will pick up where the last ep. of the tv series left us, with Sophia's Flip bearing down on her.

This fic will be darker, and noticeably very erotic and angsty, in comparison to my other WL story. Thus the reason for the higher rating.

I've been looking forward to getting started on this story, and thus returning to the Wolf Lake genre, but despite my absence from it, I've still been pretty busy since the conclusion of my Continuation of Season One of WL… I've done stories for 24, John Doe, and two for Andromeda. I finally finished "Black Fire"(my E:FC series) and I redid my Birds of Prey fic "A Bittersweet Pain", as well as the prequel to "Black Fire" entitled "If Only For One Night" 

I'm also the proud co-author of a spectacular "Dune" fanfic series. Considered primarily a sequel to the epic Sci-Fi mini-series "Children of Dune" (which I COMPLETELY fell in love with!) This story is entitled "The Forked Golden Path", and you can find it in the genre listing for "Dune" in the "Books" category if you are interested in reading it. 

I will be beginning the Virtual Second Season in a few more weeks… and that is all I'm going to say at this moment. My main priority right now is this story. Please respect that.

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Thanks go to Lady Lioness, Ashione, Nightwriter2, and Surya for being my "critics" of this first chapter. They really helped reassure me that this chapter was ready to be posted, and that I had accomplished my desired effect… You guys were absolutely wonderful, and I'm humbled to consider you my friends. Lots of love to each and every one of you!!

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"Welcome To My World…And Watch Your Step…"

~*~

Summary – As her wolven nature viciously fights to rise to the surface, and Luke's feral desires begin to incinerate them both within the ancient initiating embrace of their kind, Sophia desperately attempts to escape the hungers of her own body… and the one who will **_never_** let her go…

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Chapter One 

~*~

_Shadows assaulted her. Light burned through her. Brief visions of incomprehensible images fell one after another in a constant but dizzying torrent like the shards of broken memories, as she saw them all with a pair of eyes that were not her own. At least not yet._

_Wolves surrounded her. Swamping her. Swallowing her. Submerging her within their embrace. Welcoming her. Choking her. Holding her. Saving her. Killing her. She couldn't escape them. No matter which direction she turned, **they** were there. Depriving her of a place of security where she was safe from the pull of their seductive power. _

****

_They were finished with waiting. They wanted to taste her. Experience her. Whether she was willing or not, they would take her. She was theirs. She belonged to them…_

_They would do whatever they had to in order to keep her._

_Heated fur – grey, black, brown, red – brushed against her naked skin like the personal caress of a lover… Cool tongues licked across her body like the brush of flickering flames, even as she struggled frantically through their masses. Desperately craving for air that wasn't thick with the cloying, feral smell of the forest that clung to the hundreds of their bodies. The signature scent of the Pack._

_And they were drowning her in it. Coating her with it. Pulling her under. Rubbing it into her very skin till she smelled just like them. **Was **just like them. The only difference was that she was still human, while all of them were wrapped up in the wildness of their pelts. _

_But they knew how to change that, came the whispers… They knew how to change **her**. How to make her one of them… And suddenly with the knowledge of what they were planning to do, her heart, already pulsing so loudly in her ears, began to pound frantically in fear._

_She tried to fight them. She pushed and pulled away. Twisting. Writhing in an attempt to escape their swarming forms. But there was always another furry body to hold her captive within their circle as they herded her forcefully towards a new destination. Flinging their forms into the backs of her legs and the small of her back when she tried to hold her ground. Forcing her to either move, or be knocked to the fog-coated earth beneath her bare feet. She didn't want to fall. She knew if she did, they would descend on her and all sight and sound would forever be rubbed out by the hard press of their furred, wolven forms. _

_She didn't want to know what would happen then. Whether they killed her, or claimed her as one of their own… maybe it was just death either way._

_So she went in the direction that they wanted her to go. Heart in her throat… Reluctantly placing one foot in front of the other. Helpless against their combined force._

_And then, from out of the mass, a single form rose slowly in front of her. Standing on two feet instead of four. Tendrils of fog clinging to the pale yet beautiful skin that swathed his body once more as he shed his silver and grey fur. Familiar aqua green eyes replacing the gold, set in a face whose lines she knew as intimately as her own, yet strangely, he seemed older…different. Harder. Yet more stunning. Hair the color of honey and longer than she remembered, glittered in the glow of the moon above and falling over the shadowed planes of his forehead._

_She should have felt calmed by his presence. She didn't. Something wasn't right here, and somehow she knew he was responsible._

_The surrounding wolves fell away. Leaving her suddenly and strangely bereft and cold without the warming yet disconcerting crush of their bodies. She looked around her at them as they formed a loose but constantly moving circle about twenty feet away. Their strange eyes never leaving the pair that they had brought together. _

_She felt it then. The insidious whispers brushing against the inside of her mind like the stroke of the finest of wings. Each one leaving behind the faintest crack in her resolve. Each one striving deeper and deeper to hit upon something far more intimate than just her mind._

_/Join us… Run with us… Give yourself to us…Give yourself to **him**…/_

_Suddenly unable to catch her breath, she swung her head back to look at the one in front of her… and in the depths of those familiar green eyes she saw a hunger as elemental as time itself, and just as old. It burned there with the presence of a thousand fires. It confirmed her fears._

_She knew then, as she gazed upon that burning, that if she let him touch her, than those fires would overwhelm her. Burn her up. Consume her. Own her. She would never be free from it. From him._

_She heard what those voices whispered to him… saw their messages reflecting back at her in the frightening depths of those eyes. They were urging him to bring her to them. **Promising** her to him. Pressing him to take her. Claim her. Make her one of them once and for all. _

_And he would… and she would be unable to stop him._

_Shaking her head in a movement that felt like she was sinking in quicksand, she backed away, and then turned abruptly off to the side and tried to dart away. Not caring which direction she went, so long as she escaped him._

_But she had forgotten about the wolves…_

_They fell upon her, tripping her, taking her to ground… Air currents swirling in almost freezing traces around her as she landed on her back in the thick carpet of moss and soft underbrush. The breath knocked from her lungs._

_The wolves swarmed over her. They blocked out all traces of the moonlight just as she had known they would. Opening her mouth, she tried to scream again, only to have the sound swallowed up in the heavy, muffling press of their suffocating bodies._

_She had never known such fear. _

_She couldn't move, couldn't rise. They kept her body pressed firmly into the musk-scented ground. Trapping her there... Holding her for him… Waiting…_

_And he came... Crawling sinuously on all fours towards her. At some times his moments were slow. At other times shifting faster than was humanly possible.  Body consorting smoothly in such a way, that she knew he carried muscles in places that no mere mortal would ever have. He looked like the creature he was._

_The wolves around them parted away like the spill of water as he was suddenly leaning over her. Trapping her beneath his weight. Now the one holding her captive with nothing more than the aggressive press of his body against her own._

_He rose above her. Straddling her. Eyes intense. Muscles along his shoulders and chest rippling under his naked skin as they flexed slightly. His hands gathering up her wrists before she had a chance to struggle and pinned possessively above her head. His message clear. _

_She couldn't escape them. Escape **him**…Not now. Not ever._

_Part of her was screaming… but another part… another part was stirring. Awakened from its slumber... Called by the promise shining so brightly in those glowing, inhuman eyes… and by the scent of the wolves pressing close yet again. Shadows caused by their anxious forms flitting across her peripheral vision.  But she didn't look at them. Her gaze was ensnared by the one above her, and she couldn't turn away. _

_And that was when she felt him touch her. But not with his physical form. He touched her with his mind. And with his mind, he touched places within her body that he had no permission – but frighteningly every right – to touch…_

_He shattered her control with that one touch... Leaving her vulnerable to the overpowering arousal that was suddenly welling up from within her. Slamming back into her depths with an almost penetrable force. Staking its claim on her very soul as liquid fire roared throughout her veins and pooled deep within the tightening she felt beginning between her thighs. _

_And then the wolves descended upon her – them – again as if suddenly summoned by some unseen or unheard command. Drawn by the innocent scent of the budding heat within her. _

_They pooled over their bodies in a constant flow. Taking away her vision almost completely as they brushed up against her naked sides. He kept the force of their weight off of her, so she wouldn't be crushed by them, but still… He welcomed their presence, even as he sheltered her._

_She expected any moment that the feeling of fur would shift to that of yet more skin, and the air would become thick with the intoxicating smell of the magic of the transformation…and then the entire pile would become some type of feral orgy with her trapped at its core… with him staring down at her like some dark prince, with those eyes that saw far more into her soul than she would have ever wanted them to see… The invitation to join him – join **them **– was clear. _

_ She felt that overwhelming fear rise again. Choking in her throat, and dueling with the desire…She fought him now. Nails raking down the muscled skin of his chest and forearms as she struggled with his unforgiving strength. Desperate to get away from the wolves. From him. From what they both represented. From what they all **were…**  _

_But he wouldn't let her up. His desire was the Clan's desire. The Clan's will was his will…_

_He was one of them… And he wanted the same part of her that they wanted. The same part of her that she did not want to give them…_

_The same part of her that she now understood he would take by any means necessary..._

_And the same part of her that was tied so irrevocably to him._

_He lowered himself over her, covering her. His body pressing more firmly into hers until her struggles became hopeless. She could feel the moisture of his own blood running over her skin from where she had cut him, and she felt an insane moment of regret that she had marked up the perfection of his beautiful skin, and then an even more frightening moment when she felt such a wanton desire to drop her head down to where she had sliced him, and lick the wounds clean…_

_But then her thoughts fell away, as entire world became one of not thoughts, but of senses, as she was completely, helplessly, hopelessly, lost to the sea of warm, living fur pressing in on them from every direction and those glowing eyes just inches from her own. Glowing eyes that she found herself sinking further and further into until she felt as if she was swimming in the depths of that golden fire, and forever caught within the embrace of the Pack… And then his lips were pressing into hers, and his tongue was slipping between her lips and into her mouth in a rasping caress that sent her instinctively pressing her lower body into his and a small gasp from her throat. Which earned a strange rumbling growl in response. A sound that had no business coming from such a human – but yet not – form. _

_The wolves began to howl triumphantly. Filling her ears with the sound of their haunting, timeless song… and even as hopelessness and throbbing fear still rode out deep inside her body – at war with the ever increasing and traitorous desire that he had summoned from within her – she felt an answering call… this one coming unwittingly from some deep recess inside of her that had heard the sound… and responded to it._

_It was **her** wolf… _

_…And he was awakening it…_

_~*~*~*~ _

Jerking awake, Sophia shot up into a sitting position in her bed. Eyes glazed in shock and momentary disorientation. Ragged breaths that cut through the complete stillness of the room like a knife. Echoing the intense beat of her heart pounding hard enough in her chest to shake her entire body, as it fought off the unwanted sensations of the dream. Unable to control the violent tremors that were racing through her muscles. Echoes of the adrenaline that was still coursing so strongly within her veins. 

Sweat beaded on her burning skin. Causing her thin camisole to stick uncomfortably to her chest and back, and the moisture to pool in the hollows at the center of her collarbone and between her breasts. Chasing across the small of her back, and dipping between her thighs and the tender area behind her knees.

Dark, half-wild eyes darted around her incomprehensibly. For the moment, still locked within the overwhelming sensations that the dream had invoked in her. Unsure of where exactly she was, or if what she had just experienced had been dream or reality… if she was truly alone, or if there were wolves lurking in the dark shadows shifting about the room… 

But she wasn't in the woods… hell, she wasn't even in another's bed. She was at home. In her own bed. No one was with her… She had nothing to be afraid of…

But then the earlier memories of this same eventful night came flooding back, and she realized that she suddenly had **_everything _**to be afraid of.

The moments that had come after she had attacked Luke for interrupting her date with Scott, were blurry at best. Clouded by fear and the unfamiliar and untrained senses that tended to get in the way and cause everything to sort of run together. She vaguely remembered going to her father, and him taking her home… whispering endearments all the while… Promising her that everything was going to be okay… She was going to be just fine…

She wasn't going to be fine. Nothing about what had happened tonight was **_fine_**_._

She had tried to ignore what had been happening to her body of late. Her inability to sleep, her restlessness, her increasing sense of sight and smell and hearing… and her visions. And the way her eyes glowed afterwards.

But this… what she had done tonight… She couldn't ignore it like she had everything else, and hope that it would just go away.

She couldn't just pretend that it hadn't happened, when others had witnessed it... When Luke had seen it himself, and who knew how many others that might have been out on that street at that time had seen it as well.

By this time tomorrow, she doubted highly that there would not be a single one of the Others who wouldn't know about what had transpired tonight. It was just too good a piece of gossip for it not to circulate fast.  

No… there was no way she was getting away from the subject of her awakening duel nature this time. It was strange… just a week ago, she had been all too willing to accept it. To welcome the Change… but now, after seeing Luke with Presley…

She had tried to stamp it all out of her mind. To forget how invigorating she had felt at various times throughout the last month… she had tried to stamp out the memory of Luke Cates' eyes, with that of a pair who were all too human. 

She had made the decision to leave all of that behind, for a chance at a normal human life with a normal **_human_** guy… One who could never get under her skin like **_he_** had done, and then crush her heart so completely.

And it had been wonderful… The entire date had been wonderful… Scott was nothing like Luke. He didn't challenge her, press her, make demands of her… he didn't unnerve her or confuse her. He didn't **_use_** her. He was exactly what she had needed. A break from the madness that surrounded this town.

But then Luke had shown up, his motives still so unclear… and everything had gone to hell once more. Slamming her unmercifully with the cold hard truth that 'normal' just simply wasn't in the cards that had been dealt to her.

Still… the strength **_had_** been incredible. Awesome. Extreme. It had filled her veins to the bursting point. Till she had felt like she could take on anything or any_one. _Like she could run for miles and not even have to draw in one single breath... It had been unbelievable… Incomprehensible...

And it had proven to her just how inhuman she was becoming. This… this, she couldn't ignore. Couldn't pretend that it hadn't happened. The Otherness was awakening inside of her. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

But that wasn't what had really frightened her… What had really sent her fleeing from both Scott and Luke, was the two completely different expressions that had graced their shocked features. One had been of complete disbelief and fear… the other of incredible satisfaction. Joy. Acceptance.

Scott, who she had chosen to be with, had been terrified at what she had done. By his standards, a biological impossibility.

Luke, who she had turned away from, had been thrilled. The look in his eyes had been filled with dark promise. He had stared directly into the soul of her Otherness, and he had welcomed it with open arms.

Finally releasing her death grip on the sides of her mattress, she flexed her stiff fingers and slowly sank back down onto the mattress. Having finally caught her breath from having been startled awake so badly. She stared up at the familiar ceiling above her… and was immediately assaulted by the vivid memories of her dream. Of having her back crushed into the soft moss and ferns, of **_him _**above her… Against her…

Moaning softly under her breath, she rather viciously jack-knifed off her mattress as she tried to escape the sensory flashback, and tumbled to the rough carpet. Hitting it on her hands and knees. Causing a spill of sheets to crumple with her… twisting around her legs.

Kneeling there, swathed in darkness, she curled her body into a ball. Resting on her shins, with her fingers threaded through her long sweat dampened hair. Pressing into the back of her skull as if desperately attempting to bloke out the realistic flow of memories. When that didn't work, she wrapped her arms tightly around her ribcage, and rocked slightly. Still shivering, but it wasn't stemming from being too cold. At least not physically.

The dream had been so frighteningly real. She could still smell the scent of the Clan. Still taste the flavor of Luke mouth… still feel the echoes of desire pooling in her veins… still feel the knot of fear in the back of her throat…

Now she understood why her father had wanted to save her from this world. Now she understood why he had wanted her to stay away from Luke.

But that understanding had come just a little too late.

Suddenly tensing, she turned her head towards her windows and the silver moonlight pouring through them, but her eyes were unseeing. She was listening.

She heard it again. The lone howling of a single male wolf. The cry was haunting. Beautiful. Ethereal. It sent a shiver down her spine, even as it raised chills under the surface of her skin. 

She knew whose cry it was. Knew it as surely as she knew the sound of his voice. He was nearby… and he was inviting her to come out and join him under the beauty of the night with the promise of his song. 

It wasn't until she found herself almost rising to her feet in order to walk across the flooring of her bedroom, that she recognized the allure for what it was, and sat back on her heels. Body anchored to the carpet, and nails digging fiercely into her palms where the rested on top of her thighs. Eyes never leaving the window.

_//…Come with me…//_

An incoherent sound escaped Sophia's throat as she heard his words whisper deep inside her mind like the brush of fur against skin. That part of her wanted to reach for him, but she wouldn't let it. She felt it stirring beneath the surface again for the second time that night, called by the seduction of his presence… 

But she wouldn't release it. She had a mental image of it snarling viciously at her in defiance and betrayal. Lunging against the thick leashes of control she had it anchored to. Not understanding why she wouldn't let it loose when the both so obviously wanted the same thing.

Closing her eyes, knowing without taking a look in the mirror that they were sparking with fire the color of glowing honey, she continued to kneel there. Listening tensely as the last chords of the male wolf's song finally died out. But he was still there. She knew it as surely as she knew that he was also listening… Listening to **_her_**. Listening to the pulse of her heartbeat, and waiting for her to respond… Waiting for her to come to him.

But she didn't respond. She didn't come. She just sat there. Eyes closed, and fists tightly clenched. Aware of nothing but the internal battle waging from deep within her as she sought to remain in control. Not even aware of her own blood trickling through her numb fingers and splashing into her lap from the deep cuts she had inflicted to the surface of her palms with the sharpness of her nails…

…or of the glitter of tears that fell from her closed eyes. Clinging like lost stars shining in the shadowed moonlight to the dark crescents of her lashes, before spilling over the paleness of her cheeks. Falling from her skin like cast away diamonds to land amidst the thin rivulets of crimson staining her thighs.

~*~*~*~

Clouds were rolling in. Blanketing the brilliant night sky, and threatening to blot out all light from its pale moon. Shadows shifted, lengthened, and darkened within the forest, and the fog writhed and twisted under the tall canopy that the rustling leaves created at the very tips of the wizened trees. 

The scent of rain and impending daybreak began to fill the air… Chasing away the lingering traces of the cloying musk of power and fur that claimed this land each and every night, as the wolves of the Pack regretfully left the protection it offered to its children from the eyes of the natural humans, in preparation to rejoin the façade that was their lives. Shedding the freedom of their pelts in order to entrap their souls in the every day prison that was so necessary for their survival.

But they did so with the promising knowledge that, with every sunset, they would once again be offered the keys to their cells, and they would… once again… run under the glittering blanket of stars that became the lights to their playground. Reveling in – if only a little while – in the beauty of their legacy. 

It was their gift… and their curse. It was who they were… and what would always be a part of them.

One lone wolf lingered, even after all the others had left. Hugging the thick line of trees that shrouded a single house in particular. He paced back and forth, the mist weaving in and out between his furred legs and shimmering in his thick luxurious fur, as he waited… His eyes never leaving her firmly locked window. 

But the one that he was waiting for never came. Never revealed herself. Her wolf was rising ever closer to the surface of her skin, and for that alone he wanted to lift his muzzle to the moon and howl out in triumph for eternity... But she was fighting herself. Fighting who and what she was…

She was fighting him.

But it was a fight she was going to lose. 

Finally, he turned his sight away from the house long enough to glance towards the lightening horizon as the sun began to rise. Only then, did he retreat from his rigidly held position and disappear into the woods… 

But not without one last look towards that window… a look that spoke volumes, burning there in a pair of wolven eyes that were far more sentient than they should have been.

He wasn't leaving out of a sense of resignation, for this particular hunt was nowhere near its conclusion…

Indeed… It was truthfully only just beginning…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

****

**_Is it any wonder why I'm scared?_**

**_If I was a little younger, would I care?_**

****

**_Feeling like the walls are growing stronger…_**

**_I don't know if this cage can hold me any longer._**

****

**_You never dreamed you'd have to live your life so guarded,_**

**_'Cause they'll find a way to make you feel discarded…_**

****

**_I'm not afraid of tomorrow…_**

**_I'm only scared of myself…_**

**_Feels like my insides are on fire,_**

**_And I'm looking through the eyes of someone else…_**

****

**_Never thought they'd want me to go any faster,_**

**_Never thought I took my foot off the gas…_**

****

**_Everybody loves to be in on the pressure…_**

**_But I know they're all waiting for the crash._**

****

**_Is it any wonder why the answers keep me petrified? _**

**_Is it any wonder why I'm scared?_**

****

****

**~Lyrics from "Tomorrow" by _SR-71 _**~ 


	2. Chapter Two

**AN** – For those of you that are interested in the original soundtrack listing of the original nine Wolf Lake episodes, here's some of the titles for you… the list is not complete as of yet, but it has some of the more sought after titles… including the name and performer of the song being played on John Kanin's initial trip into Wolf Lake in the Pilot, when he was riding on his bike and the memories of Ruby were haunting him… Which should make some of you very happy, seeing as how some of you have contacted me in the past, wondering if I knew what it was… So here goes!

~*~

The song being played during John's trip into WL in Ep. 1… (drum roll please) – "Limit of Shunt" by **_Beanbag_**

****

The song being played when Luke pulls up in his car beside Sophia and asks her to join them. Promising to go 'easy' on her this time, also taking place in Ep. 1… "Black Bullet" by **_KidneyThieves _**(officially one word, but some places list incorrectly as two… ) This is a pretty interesting group, with a kick ass sound… there aren't nearly enough women singing the leads in groups like this.

The song being played after Sophia had joined Luke's entourage, when she's sitting in the back trying to keep Shawn off of her, and Luke is watching her in the rear-view mirror with glowing eyes (I LOVE this scene and this song!) also taking place in Ep. 1… "Change (in the house of flies)" by **_Deftones_**

****

The song being played when Sophia and Luke were alone together in his car, and Luke was trying to give her a basis for comparison on what it was like to make the Change, by racing his car at a very high speed. Taking place in Ep. 2… "American Boy" by **_Hypnogaja_** (this song has not been officially released yet… although you could probably download it off of Kaza or something… if not however, never fear, it is scheduled to be released on some soundtrack later this year… )

The song also being played in Ep. 2, when John was running through the labyrinthine passageways beneath the hospital, as per Sophia's tip that Sarah was in trouble, and Vivian chasing after him in wolf form is… "Mary, Mary" by **_ChumbaWamba_** (one word)

~*~

I hope some of you found the above useful!

That's all I've got right now… if anyone knows any other titles, then please, PLEASE let me know so I can make that knowledge available to the rest of the fans who are struggling just as hard as I am to complete this list. Your contribution would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I'm so happy that most of you seemed to have really enjoyed the beginning of this series… Be sure to continue to let me know what you think as this story progresses… 

Special thanks to my betas on this one… and especially to Ashione for her eloquent interpretations of my work, and Lady Lioness for her much needed critique and objective reviews. Thanks to both of them, the last two chapters are even better than what I could have done on my own… They're the best!

~*~

**Chapter Two **

"This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to her! She's supposed to be just a normal human girl, with a chance at a normal life. One that would have been free from this one." Matthew Donner ranted yet again as he paced across the hard wood flooring of Sherman Blackstone's house. The line of his mouth tight and pale eyes glittering harshly.

He turned abruptly on his heel and came to stand in front of Sherman. Looking down at the Keeper with barely suppressed anger. "Do something, Sherman. Do something to fix this, or I swear…"

Sherman's brows went up as he took another sip of his coffee, and then fought to keep from choking on it. "Do what? Wave my hands over her? Pull out a magic wand and tap her on the head with it? I'm sorry, Matt, but if you came here thinking I was going to be able to work some type of miracle, then you're sadly misguided. I can't make her into something that she is not. I can't change what she is."

"But she's not one of them!" Matt all but roared back in defiance. Spinning back around to pace about the room again in frustration.

"That's not your decision to make, Matt." Sherman stated simply. Clearing his throat, and raising his mug to his lips once more. Pointedly ignoring Matt's agitated and potentially volatile mood.

"This shouldn't have happened." he persisted. "I promised Marie that it wouldn't." He came to a halt in front of the stone fireplace. Looking down unseeingly into the blackened and cold ashes resting there, as if he were helplessly expecting some sort of secret that could help him, to be revealed from their bleak remains.

Or maybe that bleakness was just a harsh reminder, weighing in heavily on his heart, of what would never be. 

Suddenly, in a flash of movement, he brought back his clenched fist and sent it flying. Punching a hole halfway into the stone and mortar. Chips of rock and cement cascading down to land at the foot of the old hearth, and to smash loudly against the hard wood floor.

Sherman didn't flinch. He didn't even bother to look up from his coffee. He just waited for the proverbial dust to settle. 

Matt stood there for a few more minutes. Staring dully into the newly created hole as the tension in his body slowly began to seep away. Leaving him feeling nothing but overwhelming numbness in its wake.

"I should have sent her away when she was born." he stated simply and not for the first time. "Sent her so far away that this town never would have even had a **_chance_** to touch her… Influence her."

"But it's not the town's fault, Matt." Sherman sighed. Strangely unable to come up with one of his every day wisecracks in the face of his friend's pain. "Sending her away wouldn't have done her any good in the long run. Her DNA would still have been an issue. It wouldn't have stopped her from having to come to terms with the rising of her beast."

"You don't know that." Matt replied. "She was born half-human. It might have worked."

"But you didn't send her away, did you? And why was that, do you think?"

Matt leaned his palms up against the mantle and hung his head. Not answering.

Sherman answered for him. "Because somewhere in that thick skull of yours, you acknowledged that this was a possibility. She had to know who she was, Matt. Where it was that she had come from. She had to know about her blood legacy, and she absolutely **_had_** to be around the Pack. What would have happened if you had sent her away, and she had never known the truth of where she had come from? What the hell do you think her life would have been like then? What would she have had to endure when the symptoms would have begun to surface? It would have been too much of a risk to the rest of the Pack, and it would have had a potential of driving her mad. They never would have allowed that. A potential female Skinwalker on the loose and the constant fear that if she ever took an ignorant human male to her bed, that she very easily could have killed him without meaning to, as her body made the Change for the first time. You're concerned about what will happen to her now… But at least here she won't have to worry about ripping some poor guy apart… At least here she knows the truth of her heritage. "

"Not all of it." Matt whispered hoarsely. Head still bowed. 

Sherman's hand stilled. Mug hovering a couple of inches away from his mouth. Sighing quietly, he dropped it away and set it down in front of him of the coffee table.

"None of the young ones of the Pack are cued in on **_everything_** until after their body has made the first Change. You've always known that. It is just one of the many traditions that we follow in order to remain safe from the rest of the world."

Matt turned to glare at Sherman. "That is not what I'm referring to, and you know it."

"Yes, unfortunately… I think I do. But there is most certainly nothing I can do or change about **_that._**"

Matt looked at Sherman for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the fireplace. Muscles in the line of his jaw clenching reflexively. They remained like that for an indefinable span of time. Their combined silence weighing heavy in the surrounding room.

"What am I supposed to do?" Matt's question suddenly broke the silence. Bringing Sherman's gaze back up to the line of the other man's turned back. 

It was a moment before he replied carefully. Tone cautious. "It's not your fight, Matt. It's hers. She has to decide what she will do with the options presented to her."

Matt spun around suddenly. Eyes glittering dangerously. "Options." he scoffed. "That is exactly what I'm talking about, Sherman! She doesn't **_have_** any options. The Pack will strip them from her the moment they realize that she is truthfully one of them. And that… **_boy… _**isn't going to rest until he's made that happen, and in the process, ruined her life."

Sherman frowned slightly as something finally clicked. "So that is what this is all about. It's about him. Luke Cates."

Matt turned back around. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh… I think you do." Sherman slowly came to his feet. Casually following Matt when he stalked off towards the direction of the front door. "It isn't so much that Sophia is about to Flip, or even that she might be forced to remain in Wolf Lake… You knew that was a possibility from the moment she was born. You knew that, and you came to terms with it. This is about him. You don't care so much if she is forced to remain in Wolf Lake… you just don't want her to be forced to remain with **_him._**"

"He'll hurt her, Sherman. He'll use her, and he'll break her heart. I've watched him and others just like him do it over and over again for years. She deserves better than that."

"Perhaps," Sherman remarked. "But as I recall, you used to be no different when you were that age... And I still don't believe that is what you are so afraid of. Call me callous, but I think if you genuinely believed Lucas wanted Sophia for nothing other than just a shot at 'flipping' her, then I think that after seeing what you saw last night, you wouldn't be this worked up about that possibility. You would want your daughter to survive, even if you had to toss out your human ideals and morals for a little while. And you and I both know that her best chance at surviving would be is if she did flip with Luke. I believe that you would be stepping out of their way and allowing nature to take its course. But you don't believe that Luke just wants another piece of tail, do you, Matt? You think he wants **_her. _**And you're afraid that if she flips, then she won't have a choice in the matter of who her mate becomes… You believe that he will take her for his own." 

****

Matt stilled. His hand on the door knob. He looked over his shoulder at Sherman, and his eyes – just moments ago filled with intense emotions – were now as empty as glass. 

"You're right, Sherman. He and I, once upon a time, **_were_** no different. Which is why I know so very well what he's thinking every time his eyes now come to rest upon my daughter. I also know how strong he is in the gift all of the males of strong lineage possess… and I also know how attracted she is to him, despite that she has now begun to fight him. If he ever unleashes his power on her, she won't be able to deny him. So yes… I do fear… I fear that not only will she become his mate, but that in the end, it won't even be her **_choice._**"

"She's strong too, Matt. She's the only daughter of your line. She will not be without her own… abilities."

Matt shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter. It won't save her. Not up against this. I know what I'm talking about, Sherman. You know it, too. Luke is more than strong enough to be Alpha one day. He just needs a few more years under his belt before he will have that hard edge required for the job, and then he will be a force to reckon with. Vivian is only protecting the position for him until he is ready, and then she will step aside. Her duty to Willard and the rightful heir will be fulfilled. His line is one of the last true ancient ones… as is mine. I know personally just how much stronger those particular abilities are because of that infusion... And how he can use that against her to get what he wants."

With that, the knob turned under his palm, and he swung the door open. Allowing the first rays of dawn to shine blatantly through. Cutting through the heavy shadows cloaking the small hallway. 

As he stepped through, he paused and looked back towards Sherman. A tiny glimmer of some unrecognizable emotion shining in his haunted gaze. 

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me that he only wants her as just another piece of tail, and not that he's suddenly beginning to wake up to the fact that he is going to have to lay claim to a future mate very soon… Tell me that he's not wanting her for more than the high of her impending Flip… and tell me that she couldn't possibly be falling for him, despite what he's already put her through. Tell me that none of that is possible, and that I'm being foolishly paranoid for being as concerned as I am."

Sherman opened his mouth in protest, but nothing came out. It fell closed again as he slowly shook his head. Shrugging one shoulder helplessly.

Matt nodded. A dark shadow of sadness falling across his features. Turning his head towards the light outside as he stepped clear of the door-frame.

"That's what I thought." 

The door clicked back in place behind him. 

~*~

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?"

Luke came to a halt in route towards the staircase leading from the front entrance way and to his upstairs bedroom. He shook his head wryly and turned slowly to face his mother, standing at the sliding door entrance into her office, arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to the side in what was a familiar expression of hers.

He didn't answer her. He just stood there. Mouth pressed into a thin line. A darkness glittering in his gaze that she had been seeing more and more of over the last week or so… and one that she was just now beginning to understand.

Vivian Cates gaze flicked over her son closely. Taking in his appearance. Noticing the lack of shoes on his feet and the mess of his clothes and hair. The scent of the change was present as well, heavy on his skin. But that she had expected.

Vivian slowly started to saunter over to him where he was standing at the foot of the staircase. Arms still crossed over her chest, and honey colored eyes less than pleased.

"Please tell me that what I just heard isn't true, Luke. Please tell me that the rumors circulating are false, and that you didn't attack that human boy who Sophia Donner was out on a date with, and that you didn't toss him about thirty feet in the middle of the town, where anyone could have been watching. Please tell me that you are not so foolish that you would risk exposing the Clan and yourself by such foolish actions, and that my resources need to have their stomachs pulled out through their ears for spreading such lies about my son."

Luke didn't answer her. But then again… he didn't have to. Her resources were just too dependable. 

Looked like they would get to keep their stomachs, after all. 

"Damn it, Luke! How could you? How could you break the most important rule that we all live by? Do you have any idea what could have happened last night, if someone **_other _**than fellow members of the Clan had witnessed your actions? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking." he finally replied. Eyes shifting slightly in warning. Tone rumbling in his throat as if his vocal cords were still somewhat animalistic. "Besides, the ungulate in question will just assume that I was pumped up on steroids or some such crap. There isn't any danger of exposure."

"Oh really? And what about what Sophia did to you, hmm? Don't you think that what **_she_** did is going to strike him as a bit odd?"

Luke looked away silently. Muscles tightening in his cheek.

Vivian sighed, and unfolded her arms. Rubbing her forehead vigorously, as her anger suddenly left her. "Yes Luke, I heard about that, too… and that is **_not _**going to be as easy to pass off… I don't even know exactly where to begin with all this mess, that doesn't involve this kid having to suddenly… disappear."

If Vivian had expected any reaction from her son at those words, she was to be sadly disappointed. To be honest, she had the sudden disconcerting revelation that her son probably wouldn't be quite as… against that idea as he should have been.

She looked at him then in a new light… One that was very uncomfortable.

"I think what really surprised me about all of this, though… was how it got started. You were spying on them, weren't you? That's not like you at all. Just what exactly do you feel for this girl, Luke?"

Her son's gaze suddenly hardened and became cold as hastily thrown barriers slid into place. She knew then that she had inadvertently struck a very sensitive nerve, and that revelation sent the wheels turning in her mind once more. 

"Sophia is about to Flip. That's all." His answer was simple. As if he expected that to be enough. And given the way of the Pack, normally it would have been. But not this time. Not after what she had just seen on his face.

Vivian shook her head. Deciding to verbalize her thoughts as they came to her to him to see what other reactions she could entice. 

"No, I don't think so. If it was any other time, and your attack was on another member of our kind, I would have been willing to accept that answer. But you've never been this reckless in your pursuits before. You've never attacked human males and in so doing, risk exposing yourself… But then again, you've never had to feel like you **_had_** to attack a human before, because none of the ones you have pursued before have tried to run from you the way Sophia is. You're used to being the one true authority to the younger members of the Pack, next to me. They follow you without question, and the males acknowledge you as their dominant. If you had made it known that you are in pursuit of one of our young females, like you did with Sophia, then they all recognize yours as the dominant claim and stay clear."

She then looked up at him knowingly. "But Sophia didn't play by the rules, did she? She didn't try to take one of the other members of the Pack as a potential interest. One that you could pull rank on and beat up if you so desired… she took a human. And that is something that has never happened to you before."

Vivian paused to shake her head wryly. "It must have really pissed you off to think that a simple human boy was treading upon your territory and there was nothing you could do about it. That is... until you decided to lose control of your emotions. I think I'm actually going to have to thank that girl for knocking you down a few pegs before you had really done something stupid… like Change right there in the damn street like you were so close to doing."

She looked back up at him, and all humor fled as her lips hardened. "Sophia is part human, Luke. You've always known that. And it was an acceptable possibility that she would seek out a human boy as a potential love interest. And up until she flips, it is well within her **_right _**to do so. We can make no interference. She is not one of us, Luke! Not yet, and until she is, you have no right to do what you just did!"

"She is going to Flip." Luke interjected defensively. "I've watched her for so long… what happened tonight is proof of just how close to the surface her beast is."  

"But she hasn't flipped **_yet_**, Luke… and you have to acknowledge the possibility that she just might not. There have not been very many half-breeds borne within in the Pack, granted… But the ones that we have had, did not **_all_** make the Change, despite the fact that most of them showed signs of it… and those that did begin to Flip… well… you know as well as I do that most of them were not strong enough to survive."

Luke's pale eyes narrowed. Immediately hostile towards such an outcome existing in this case. His expression turned slightly feral, as his voice shook with the sudden presence of anger therein. "So I'm supposed to just stand back and watch her slowly killing herself with every passing day that she refuses to acknowledge the existence of her Otherness, and just pray that she survives it when it finally comes to claim her by force? Is that it?"

Vivian sighed. Slightly taken aback by the presence of emotions in her son that she had never sensed there before, but had already assumed were beginning to grow. "There is nothing that goes on in this town that I am not aware of… I have known of every single one of your encounters with that girl, and I have seen this… obsession that you have for her grow with every passing day. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing more than a passing fancy, and that you'd get bored with it eventually. But now your interest in her is starting to become a liability. And with Ruby on the loose again, I can't afford to have anymore… liabilities. Until Sophia Flips, you have no power over her. That's the law of our people, and you know that. You also know, that if you try to… **_influence_** her in the way of our males before she is truly one of us, that it could not only make any future claim you have on her null and void… but could also force me to reprimand you severely for breaking one of the rules that has protected the young females of the Pack for centuries. If your goal is to take her as your mate, then you will have to – "

Luke shook his head and cut her off suddenly. Facial features slipping into a cold and unemotional mask once more. "You misunderstand my interest, Mother... I feel **_nothing_** of the likes of what you are insinuating, towards Sophia. Why would I risk taking a half-breed for a mate, when she would be considered nothing but a weakness for someone who plans on fulfilling the shoes of their forefathers? She is just another… passing fancy and will remain so. You're right though, what happened tonight was foolish. Foolish and irresponsible, and I assure you, that it will not happen again. I will not let my hunt of the moment become as you put it, a liability for you, or for the Clan. I know what my responsibilities are, and I will not let myself forget them."

Taken aback by the formal harshness of his words, Vivian was silent for a moment, before finally asking one final question carefully. Unsure of what thoughts were currently running through her son's mind… or his heart.

She had an unsettling thought that maybe… just maybe… she was better off not knowing.  
  


"And what will you do about Sophia?" 

His lips twisted humorlessly. "I will deal with her accordingly, and I will… not draw attention to my… intentions where she is concerned."

Vivian's eyes narrowed. "She is Matthew Donner's daughter, Luke. He will not take well to your interest. He's made that clear on more than one occasion. I don't want to have to pick up the pieces when he gets done with you."

Luke laughed. The sound callous and arrogant. "Yeah, well… something tells me after taking his daughter home last night, he'll just might be changing his tune where I'm concerned."

"And if he doesn't? Luke, you don't have to be the one. There are other males in the Clan. Ones that find Sophia attractive, and I'm sure that any of them would… "

The sight of Luke's eyes burning like twin golden embers with startling hostility and the sudden rumbling from his chest took her back a bit and made her pause. Inwardly shocked at how swiftly he was metamorphosing from one mood to the other. She had never seen him like this. She cocked her head to the side, looked at him appraisingly, and took in the clenched fists and the muscle ticking in his jaw… as well as the personal scent of her son's wolf boiling under the surface of it all… 

It was an impression that spoke volumes. And one of the things it said was that if she finished that comment and mentioned names, she would most certainly be preparing funerals by that night.

Luke didn't need an excuse to rip into someone. He was already there, and it was only that thin resolve that separated his beast from the man that kept him from turning violent. 

Luke didn't give her a chance to finish regardless, however, because he quickly turned his back on her in an attempt to keep her from seeing what she had already seen, and paced off. Muscles along his cloth-covered back rippling with the contained wolf within and the feral scent of the change clinging strongly to the air currents trailing behind him as he made his way up the stairs. Disappearing into the dimly lit shadows of the upstairs' hallway.

Wisely, she remained quiet. Allowing him to depart even as her eyes narrowed speculatively as she watched his retreat. 

And then she knew. She knew that, despite his agreements and his defensive comments to the contrary, that all of her words of caution had just been – for the most part – worthless. 

Whether he realized it – or was willing to admit it – yet or not, her son was in love. 

And with an unwilling, un-flipped, half-human girl at that… Who just happened to be the daughter of the man who **_should_** have been Alpha, despite Willard's biological claim on the title…

Her son could say what he wanted to say about not wanting Sophia as his mate… But the truth was, his wolf would have no one else. Even if that meant possibly sacrificing a future as Alpha. The way he was acting was typical of a male of their species who was being deprived of the mate to their Otherness. They were dangerous and temperamental because the lack of that particular connection made them vulnerable. And the one thing that could make a wolf turn feral faster than anything, was the feeling of being weak or defenseless.

Because if they were feeling it, then it was almost always assured that their chosen was feeling the same affects as well. Whether they were willing to admit it or not… 

Their males could withstand a lot a lot of things... But if their mate was in pain… well… then their immediate and unforgiving instinct was to lash out at anything or anyone who could be contrived as being a possible threat. Regardless of the origins of said pain…

Because, whether that threat was real or imagined just simply didn't matter when it came down to the promise of blood on the tongue.

Which basically meant that now all she could do until Luke and Sophia resolved their differences, was pray that when the blood began to flow, it would not be followed by the stench of death that she feared was most assuredly to follow.

~*~

Steam wafted thickly through the small interior of his bathroom, as Luke shut off the water, and stepped out of the shower. Snagging a towel as he walked over to the counter, and fastening it around his lean waist.

Clearing the steam away from where it fogged up the mirror, he ran his hands briskly through his soaked hair. Pushing it away from his forehead. The muscles along his chest bunching and releasing as they flexed from the movements of his arms. Water streaming off of his naked skin in thin but multiple rivulets. Running down the center-line of his body and chasing over his sides. Soaking into the towel clenched so tightly below his navel and riding low on his hips. Some running with a faint pink tinge from having encountered the various cuts and scrapes on his back that had re-opened underneath the pressurized hot water. The product of an impact that would have completely shredded a human body.

Dropping his hands away from the top of his head, he braced them against the damp marble of the countertop that surrounded the sink, sinews and tendons twisting under the surface of his skin, and studied his reflection… but his focus was elsewhere. Shadows of the memories of that previous night dancing through his mind's eye. Memories of her… of her laughter… her agony… And her eyes as they had met his for a brief moment. Burning with a fire that had nothing to do with her unrealistic human emotions, and everything to do with the struggling wolf within.

And then the memory of her… welcoming the touch and kiss of another…

And of that human… looking at her with such fear and horror. As if he had just seen confronted by some monster… some loathsome creature instead of the incredible female whose beautiful, wild soul was just beginning to awaken inside of her…

His own eyes caught fire and he clenched the sides of the marble top with inhuman strength. Feeling it begin to crunch slightly beneath the force, as the tips of his fingers began to burn with a familiar pressure and resulting release, as he remembered the pain in her eyes when she had seen that look, and how that had been such a painful blow to her heart. 

Turning in a sudden burst of inhuman speed, he lashed out at the dark mahogany cabinets that lined the way behind him, and laid the wood wide open. Slicing it all the way through the thick grain with one swipe. Imagining the throat of Scott Nichols under his claws rather than the thick, hard lifeless wood that bore the brunt of his fury.

He chose to ignore the similar yet less deeper marks that lay across his chest and shoulders as they re-opened from the sudden viciousness of his pent-up assault, and began to trickle a few drops of blood down the otherwise flawless expanse of his skin, before resealing once more. Marks etched by a more feminine hand, that had nothing to do with his impact with the windshield of his car, and **_everything_** to do with the girl that was responsible for said impact… 

Marks that she had given him in what she had thought was only a dream, but was truthfully only the first move on his part in a dangerous game that he had every intent of winning. 

One way… or another.

Turning once more, this time to face the door, he smacked it open with one palm, and stalked out. Leaving the raw mess of mangled cabinets behind. The steam escaped with him into the relative coolness of his room as he prepared for the day.

And for his next move.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_Well, I want… to take his eyes out…_**

**_Just for looking at you… _**

**_Yes, I do._**

****

**_And I want… to take his hands off…_**

**_Just for touching you…_**

**_Yes, I do._**

****

**_And I want… to rip his heart out…_**

**_Just for hurting you…_**

****

**_And I want… to break his mind down…_**

**_Yes, I do!_**

****

**_And I want… to make him regret…_**

**_Life since the day he met you…_**

**_Yes, I do._**

****

**_And I want… to make him take back…_**

**_All that he took from you…_**

**_Yes, I do!_**

****

**_And I want… to take his hands off…_**

**_Just for touching you…_**

**_Yes, I do._**

**~ Lyrics from "Just For" by _Nickelback _~**


	3. Chapter Three

**AN – **Yeah, took me a little bit longer than I would have liked, getting this chapter out… as it is, its shorter than I had originally anticipated, but what can I do? I took it as far as I could. The story is gonna come whatever way it wants to. (shrug)

Thank to everyone who has reviewed, it means a lot! I'm glad to hear that so many are enjoying it. Brief apology to my betas… I know you didn't get a chance to read this chapter before I posted it, but I hope you'll forgive me! I just wanted to get it out as soon as possible…

I've actually been pretty busy the last couple of weeks… I've written several new stories (which are all part of an on-going series of mine entitled "Reflections") for the new hit WB TV series "Tarzan", which I have completely fallen in love with. I can't remember the last time I was this crazy over a TV show… Not even Wolf Lake sparked this kind of obsession in me, and we all see where that little bit of insanity has led! lol!

FF.Net has finally cried "Uncle" and posted a category for it… The first one, entitled "I'm With You" has just been posted, with "Lies" and "Fallen" to follow shortly… If you are a fan of this show, then please take the time to stop by, read them, and let me know what you think. The next few in this series are already in the process of being created. 

Anyway, here's chapter 3…

**~*~**

**Chapter Three**

John winced as he flexed the muscles in his forearm. The punctured, discolored area of his underarm complaining against the movement. He turned it over to study it briefly, before dropping his arm and letting his sleeve fall back into place, as he continued with his walk. Watching absently the area in front of his path carefully for any potential obstacles that could trip him, but his mind was elsewhere… As it always tended to be when he was finally alone with his thoughts and haunting memories.

It had been two nights since the incident with Van Halen… two nights since he'd been forced to main-line a pint of wolf's blood. But other than that having definitely been the weirdest thing to happen to him since arriving at Wolf Lake – and there had been plenty events to choose from – he had suffered no ill effects from the experience. Which had been a little surprising to him… he had expected to be at least a little on the sick side as his body tried to fight off such alien DNA, but strangely enough, no such outcome.

Well… other than the fact that he hadn't been sleeping well the last couple of nights. Not that that was anything new. He hadn't really had a good night's sleep since Ruby's disappearance back in Seattle.

But he had been… unusually restless. Tonight having definitely been the worst one so far. Like whatever it was he was feeling was steadily increasing. A pressure that he could feel stirring just beneath the surface.

Stepping over a fallen log, he wandered deeper into the woods. Jeans brushing up against the underbrush as he weaved in and out of the massively tall, slender trunks of the surrounding trees. Faint moonlight filtering through the canopy of leaves at their tops, and casting intense shadows about his surroundings.

He had been following the same path now for the last three nights. He never wandered far, though… Always making sure to be within just yards of his rented cabin. Gun firmly hooked on his hip within easy reach as he attempted to work out his frustrations. Exercising until dawn in an attempt to rid himself of that sensation where he felt like he was about to jump out of his skin… Like he was on some unnatural high, times a thousand.

Maybe it would be a good idea to drop by the local hospital tomorrow. Even though he didn't think that his insomnia had anything to do with the transfusion, it was possible that he might have picked something up. In this town, there was absolutely no telling one way or another.

Coming to a stop so he could lean up against one particularly tall rock formation that was hidden there in the brush, he sighed and rubbed his palm down the front of his thigh. Feeling the thick fabric of his jeans against his skin, and having to fight off – and not for the first time – the momentary urge to rip it away. Feeling for a brief moment an insane desire to free his skin entirely.

Shaking his head, he frowned. Wondering yet again just what the hell was wrong with him. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he tilted his face up and gazed at the small glimpses of the night sky he could see through the trees. The strong curved column of his throat revealed. He forced himself to take in a deep breath. Releasing it slowly in the hopes of relieving his tension. 

Sometimes it helped when he was out here. Away from the immediate contact of the rest of the world and its insanities. Sometimes it didn't… but it never hurt to try and see which result he would get.

Fortunately, he received the former, and for a brief moment in time, his body relaxed. Muscles rippling in release as he sagged against the rocks. Leaning his head back to rest against the hard surface, he closed his eyes. Wondering idly if it was possible for him to grab a few minutes of sleep, and whether or not he was actually just far gone enough to allow himself to do that when he was out in the open, vulnerable to attack, and still in a town, surrounded by people that seemed to have some serious – and deadly – grudges against him.

Listening half-heartedly to the sounds of the forest around him, he compromised with the idea of a light cat-nap. Focusing on his breathing as he enjoyed his brief respite from the conflictions that he had been suffering from. Taking in the individual scents of the nature he was standing in the middle of. Trying to see if he could sort through and identify each one. Calling them all by their names.

Suddenly, he tensed. Pushing away from the rocks. Eyes snapping open as his hand reached for his gun. Premonition of attack suddenly roaring to the surface. He was being watched. 

He had only that single split moment to react, when a pale form came flying at him. Knocking him around the rock formation to land on his back hard in the leaves.

Body tightening in aggression as instinct kicked in, he used the momentum and rolled them both. Bringing the other person underneath him, instead of the other way around, as they had obviously meant to do.

He became aware of several different things at once… One was that the figure was light and lacked the hardness of a male… second was the slight feminine grunt of surprise and maybe a little bit of pain at his exerted strength. As if they had expected tackling a Seattle P.D. should have produced a different result.

Third was what his senses were already trying to convey to him long before his mind was willing to believe it.

Only then, when he had her pinned to the ground, arms stretched above her head as he leaned upwards for leverage, and staring into a pair of startling silver eyes that had haunted his thoughts and dreams ever since he had first gazed into them, and had now been searching for, for months, did it click with him.

And then he felt as if he had just been hit upside the head with a wreaking ball. In his mind's eye, he had gone over and over different scenarios in which all of his sleepless nights, and frustrating days would have paid off and he would have finally found her, and be able to hold her in his arms again. 

This hadn't been one of them.

She went still beneath him. Breaths coming a little fast through a mouth that had been the center of all of his fantasies, as she stared up at him. Silken skin pale, and tears glittering there on lush black lashes like quicksilver. Signs of just how overwhelming it was for her to finally be back with him after almost nine months apart.

Unable to speak and gaze full of overwhelming shock, John slowly, reluctantly shifted his weight. Feeling the way she trembled against him, he loosened his bruising grip around her slender wrists, and sitting up. Bracing his weight on his knees, which he had positioned on either side of her hips. His fingertips slid over the tender skin of her bared forearms. Starting at her wrists and moving down to the tender crook of her elbow. His touch lingering as if afraid to let go.

"Ruby?"

~*~*~*~

_It's been awhile, since I could hold my head up high…_

_And it's been awhile, since I first saw you…_

_And it's been awhile, since I could stand on my own two feet again…_

_And it's been awhile, since I could call you…_

_But everything I can't remember, as f**cked up as it all may seem… _

_the consequences that are rendered, I've stretched myself beyond my means. _

_It's been awhile, since I could say that I wasn't addicted…_

_And, it's been awhile, since I could say I love myself as well… and…_

_It's been awhile, since I've gone and f**ked things up, just like I always do…_

_And it's been awhile, but all that sh*t seems to disappear when I'm with you…_

_And everything I can't remember, as f**ked up as it all may seem…_

_The consequences that I've rendered... I've gone and f**cked things up again…_

_Why must I feel this way…?_

_Just make this go away…_

_Just one more peaceful day…_

_And it's been awhile, since I could look at myself straight…_

_And it's been awhile, since I said I was sorry…_

_And it's been awhile… since I've seen the way, the candles light your face…_

_And it's been awhile… but I can still remember just the way you taste…_

~ Partial Lyrics from "I'm With You" by _Staind_ ~


	4. Chapter Four

AN – I know, I know… I've been a very, VERY bad girl. If I had known I was going to get so wrapped up in another genre, I never would have begun this story when I did. However, I'm attempting to try and get back into it, so here's the next chapter… 

**BTW, some of you complained about the last couple of chapters not being centered on interaction between Sophia and Luke. There IS a reason for that. I'm laying the ground-works for this entire series in the first six chapters, and from them on out, it's gonna be all L/S… But these chapters have to be written first… So just go with it and cut me some slack. **

**Also, some of you were confused as to why Ruby jumped John the way she did in the last chapter, rather than just walk up to him calmly… Hopefully you'll understand why she did that after reading this chapter… **

And as far as the Virtual Series is concerned, my muse and I are having a little spat at the moment. Although I know what I'm gonna be doing in this season, and my brain is incredibly full of ideas, I've been having an incredibly hard time getting it underway. I think its partly due to the fact that when I started the first season continuation, I never had any intention of it getting as big as it did, and when I look at what I created there, with a nearly 200,000 word epic… it's a little intimidating. I think I'm actually psyching myself out a bit… But I also think it is actually starting to finally come together now, regardless of that. My hope is to begin working on the premiere soon, and who knows… I might even be able to get it out in time to greet the New Year… Keep your fingers crossed! Also, stay tuned into my message board (you can find the link in my bio) I'll be updating there soon on the preparations for the Virtual Second Season as they get underway… 

**Thanks go to my betas, Lady Lioness, Nightwriter2, and Sousa… Surya and Ashione, I never heard back from you on this chapter, so I hope everything is alright with both of you… All my love!**

**~*~**

Chapter Four 

Vivian stood in her office, silhouetted by the darkness that swept over the interior, and illuminated by only the one candle sitting on her desk. 

She gazed out into the night through one of the large windows. Her fingers absently caressing the length of one of the dark panels of cloth that hugged its sides. She knew without looking in a mirror that her eyes were reflectively glinting inhumanly because of the heavy shadows, but she tended to prefer it that way. 

Put aside of the foolish politics, and the useless greed and power struggles, and you were left with a species that was close to forgetting what it meant to disappear within themselves and glory in being what they had been born as. In how powerful their bodies were, and how advanced their senses could be. 

As her Pack continued on with the charade of human normalcy, they were starting to forget along the way what it meant to be a shapeshifter. A Skinwalker. A wolf. They forgot what was truly important, even critical, to their survival. They were losing their own sense of themselves.

Vivian liked to remind herself of who and what she was every chance she got. It kept her from becoming just as misguided as some of the rest had. And if that meant standing in a room that was almost completely dark with nothing but the flickering low-burning candle to break through it, then so be it. She could still see everything within the room as if it were the brightest of days. None of them needed artificial light. It was just that human stigma that made them use them. All part of appearing just as normal as the rest of the world's population. All part of the ever-continuing charade.

Silence stretched. Broken only by the ticking of the massive grandfather clock sitting in the corner. She continued to star out into the night and into the blackness of the forest that came practically right up to her front door. Not even bothering to turn around and face the tense, dark haired man standing in the middle of the floor behind her.

He had every right to be tense… because she had every right to rip his throat out. 

"I take it by your silence, that your hunt didn't go as according to plan, Gary." her lips curved up at the edges as her voice nearly purred over the sentence.  Knowing without looking that her bodyguard had flinched as if she had rained obscenities down upon his head. 

But then, he knew what rested underneath that deceptive voice. The fact that she could practically taste his fear was prove enough of that.

"You woke me up in the middle of the night with your call to inform me that you had found Ruby, and were at that moment hunting her down. Preparing to pick her up. You wanted to know if you should go ahead and simply kill her, and I told you to bring her here to me instead. So would you mind telling me what happened to change all of that?"

He cleared his throat nervously. "She knew she was being followed. She switched directions quickly and headed into town."

Vivian laughed, and the sound was anything but pleasant. She finally turned to face him, and her eyes sparked in the firelight. This time she didn't have to sense him flinch. She saw it. She slowly began to walk towards him.

"Of course she knew you were following her, Gary. She has abilities that no other female within the Clan carries. She knows everything that is happening around her. The only reason why Tyler was able to catch her in Seattle was because she had been gone long enough from the soil of this place that her powers were slowly beginning to fade away. But now that she has been back for nearly nine months, they have even more slowly begun to return. The more time she spends in her true form, the faster it all comes back."

Vivian stopped only a couple of feet away from Gary. Looking up into his face with a benign curiosity. Almost as if he was some odd bug under a microscope rather than a member of her Pack.

"Nevertheless, you lost her. You made a promise you couldn't keep. You know what the penalty can be for your failure if I so desired."

The skin along his body shuddered, and Gary closed his eyes. Sliding to the hard floor beneath them both. Landing soundlessly on his knees. It should have looked clumsy, but it wasn't. He moved with muscles in places that no mere human possessed. And nothing about that was awkward or ungraceful.

He tilted his head back. Offering her his throat. And his life.

Vivian stepped closer. Testing his resolve. This time he didn't flinch, and his hands remained loose at his sides. Accepting of whatever fate she might choose for him.

She reached out to stroke the line of his jaw with the tip of her fingers, and she saw a muscle jump reflexively in his throat.

"What I want Gary, is to know why it is that you lost her. I sense that there is more to your story then you have so far told me. So… spit it out. What else happened in the woods tonight?"

He swallowed. Vivian watched the motion of his Adam's apple flex, and then her eyes strayed back to the pulse beating so furiously just underneath the skin of his throat. The cord of his jugular visible.

"Y-you won't like what I have to say."

Vivian pressed her nails hard into his chin. Threatening to cut skin. Her tone darkened with sarcasm and anger. "I don't much like what you've said so far, but I'll try not to hold your weaknesses against you at the moment. Tell me where my stepdaughter is. I'm sure that you know at least that much."

He nodded quickly. Eyes still closed. "She went to Kanin."

Vivian became still. Even her breath came to a halt.

"What?"

I saw them… together. She knew I was there, watching them. But I was still a ways off. By the time I had gotten to where they had been, they were already gone… and their scent trail was cold. I-I don't understand what happened, I swear to you that I don't. One minute they were there, and the next… it was like they had disappeared into thin air. I swear I – "

"Shut up." Vivian ordered. Tone now as hard as ice and just as cold. Gary wisely fell silent, and she felt a tremor run just underneath his skin. It was then that she realized she had inadvertently dropped her hand down to the strong column of his throat, and her fingers were constricting. Threatening to crush his windpipe.

And she should kill him. He had good reason for not wanting to tell her this last little tidbit of information. He was one of her best, and for him to admit that he had lost Ruby's scent, meant that he quite possibly could no longer fulfill his duties. And if you were no longer useful in the capacity that he served as bodyguard, henchmen, and spy to the Alpha, then you were eliminated. You were just too much of a liability if you were not. Men in his position tended to know almost as much as the Alpha. It was a hazard of always being nearby, especially during the political grand-standing between the dominant members of the Pack.

But despite all of that, she understood all too well what he didn't. And it wasn't his fault. 

She knew what Ruby had done.

She threw him back with a snarl and spun away. Air escaping through her clenched teeth in a growl. She paced back to the window restlessly. Slender hands clenching at her sides with the desire to rip into something, anything, from frustration.

"Of course." she scoffed humorlessly. Eyes glittering brightly in the shadows from something more than just the natural reflective lens over the pupils. "She shielded against you. I wasn't aware that our little white female had acquired that particular power yet. Apparently she's just full of surprises."

She turned back around to look at Gary again. He was still kneeling there, but he was watching her like potential prey watches a dormant predator. Just because she hadn't torn out his throat when she had the chance didn't mean that she wouldn't still yet, and he knew it. Thus the reason why he remained kneeling in a subservient position.

"Are you absolutely sure that John Kanin has left Wolf Lake?"

Gary dropped his head. Nodding slowly.

Vivian tossed her head back in frustration… and then began to chuckle.

Gary's head came back up. Eyes startled.

"You have to admit, it's impressive. I have to admire the tenacity in which Ruby has turned everything towards her favor. If there wasn't the concern of it possibly coming back and slapping us in the face, then I would almost consider myself proud of her. She has never been one to allow things to stand in her way." Vivian dropped her head and allowed her gaze to focus on the hypnotizing dance of the single flame resting on her desk. Watching the beads of pale wax as they slid down the outer surface to pool at the base of the candleholder. "She is, after all, a female of my family line. My sister's daughter. We're nothing if not known for our… determination."

Letting out a sigh, she turned back to look at Gary, who, if it was at all possible, was watching her even more cautiously than before.

"Do you wish for me to try and track them?" he finally asked carefully. "It's only been less than an hour. It's possible that I mig – "

Vivian waved her hand dismissively. Cutting him off. "No, it's too late. This was inevitable. This was why I never wanted Willard to bring her back against her will. I knew this would eventually happen. Ruby has taken John out of here, and this time, we will not be able to find them. Ruby learned her lesson all too well the last time around. With her newfound ability to guard them, they'll both disappear off the face of the earth… that is, if John can accept her inner beast. Either way, they're long gone from Wolf Lake and there is no way to determine which direction they're headed. Whether I like it or not, it's now out of our hands. There's nothing we can do."

Vivian turned and walked over to her desk, coming around behind it and sat down. Body sinking into the leather covered plush of the cushions. At this close a range, the light and resulting shadows cast by the candle danced over her pale features. Making her features suddenly look sharper. Less human. As if an illusion was occurring that was causing her inner wolf to peek ever so slightly through the human facade.

It wasn't an illusion.

"You can go," she finally stated. Not even bothering to look in Gary's direction.

Gary didn't wait for her to change her mind. He just leapt to his feet and headed out the door as fast as he could go without actually breaking into a run. Not understanding why his mistress had decided not to kill him, but not wanting to stick around long enough to figure it out either.

"Oh, and Gary…" Vivian's voice stopped him at the door as if she had read his mind, and the muscles along his back stiffened.

"I cannot hold what happened tonight against you, because there truly wasn't anything you could do. There is a reason why my husband sought to bring Ruby back home. Her power is much too strong to have simply let slip away without a fight, or at least that is what he thought… But if you ever fail me again, in anything large or small… you'll be offering me your throat for the very last time, I can promise you that. I hope that's understood. Your wife is a child-hood friend of mine. I'd hate to see her have to go through the grief that your death would cause."

He nodded once, jaw clenched so tightly she was surprised she didn't hear bones grinding together inside his mouth, and then he slowly slipped out the door. 

Vivian watched him go, and then leaned forward. Stretching out over the polished surface of the desk. Reaching her fingers out to the candle.

Bringing her thumb and forefinger together, she pinched off that brilliant little flame. Smothering it. 

It let out one final little hiss before dying out, and the room was plunged into complete and total uncompromising darkness. No moon shone tonight in the dark sky, so there wasn't even that little compromise filtering in through the windows. Just total blackness.

Just the way she liked it.

She leaned back in the chair and folded her hands in her lap. Allowing herself to once again become lost deeply in thought as she habitually twisted a familiar gold band around and around on her ring finger…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

~*~

Sophia looked down at the scuffed table below her, and scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain with her damp rag.

It was late. The Diner had just closed and locked its doors, and she felt for the first time that day like she could finally breath freely. 

She probably should have just stayed home, but a part of her really didn't feel like hiding. It was Sunday after all, and tomorrow she was going to have to face school. So making the decision to put in extra time at the Diner, when one of the very few waitresses that worked there on the weekends was on maternity leave (imagine that) seemed like a logical one. It would help prepare her for the challenge of facing the Hill kids tomorrow.

It was also, in a way for her, hiding in plain sight. She had never before worked on a Sunday, so therefore it wouldn't occur to the more nosey members – young and old – of the Pack that she would be here. 

It was also a way for her to regain some sense of normalcy before tomorrow. And she knew she was going to need every bit of courage and strength she could gather. 

But not so she could deal with the rumors, for she was no stranger to controversy. But rather to deal with the Skinwalkers themselves. They would be effecting her in ways that they wouldn't even realize.

She had been feeling it all day. Every time that a member of the Clan had walked through those doors, she had found herself sensing them on a level that had never happened before. 

Sometimes it came with brief momentary flashes that didn't hardly make any sense, but more times than not it was simply just this subtle yet electrifying wave that would roll over her. Raising the fine hairs at the nape of her neck, and causing a shudder to run down the length of her spine.

It was an overflow of the power within their auras, and it could never be mistaken for that of a human. 

And each one was different. She may not have known their names, but she knew she would never forget the particular signature of their power. She would always be able to recognize them by that and that alone.

She had found herself hiding in the kitchen every chance she got when a member of the Clan was in there, and so far she had managed to evade the full brunt of their scrutiny, even though she could still feel eyes watching her from time to time.

And there was nothing that could be mistaken as human in those eyes either, as they had watched her movements so unblinkingly. 

They all were wondering what was happening to the town's local half-breed, and whether or not the rumors were true.

She hadn't been encountered by one of them, at least not yet, but there had been one incident that she was desperately trying to forget. 

She had been at the counter, checking out a young couple that was just passing through town on their way to Seattle, and in had walked Scott.

Judging be his expression, the shocked feeling of surprise she had experienced when her gaze encountered his was mutual. He hadn't been expecting to see her either.

But he never even gave her a chance to try and say anything. She had watched numbly as his features suddenly paled, and he then spun around and left even more quickly then he had entered. The door slamming shut behind him so hard that a few customers had turned to look at him curiously before returning their focus back to their meals.

Sophia had felt as if someone had just slammed a two by four into her stomach, even though she had fought not to show any outward physical response. And apparently she had succeeded, because the couple didn't even seem to notice that the hand that gave them back their change along with a copy of their receipt was trembling faintly, or how she seemed unable to thank them for stopping by and bid them a polite farewell, because she couldn't seem to speak around the strange, foreign lump that had suddenly swelled up in the back of her throat.

But then, to her relief, the Diner had closed earlier than its normal time due to the fact that it was a Sunday, and everything in this town closed early on Sunday, if it even bothered to open at all. The day was over, and she could now at least attempt to relax. 

Everyone else except Kit and Rusty had already left, and she could hear them in the kitchen wrapping up on the typical end of the day clean up work, while she washed down the last remaining tables.

She wasn't in a particular hurry. It would still be a while before her father got off of work, and the idea of going back to an empty house when the moon had already begun to rise didn't sit very well with her. Before the darkness had never really bothered her. She loved the night, but after the last couple of days, and the dreams she had had… she was a little bit more nervous than maybe she was used to being in the past.

Finishing up with the last table, she let out a sigh and stretched the line of her back. She heard the swinging door that led from the kitchen open, and she turned to face Kit as she walked through.

"Dishes are done, Rusty is just taking a moment to sweep, and then he'll be heading home." She went back behind the counter and pulled out her coat and purse. "I'm heading on home as well. Mom's got some guests that are coming over for dinner, and she needs me to help her." she shrugged into her coat, pulling it around her torso snugly. "Aren't you leaving, too?"

Sophia nodded slowly. "Yeah, as soon as I pull all the chairs up for the night. It shouldn't take me too long, though."

Kit nodded and slung her purse over her shoulder as she headed towards the door. "Well, I noticed that you didn't have any lunch this afternoon, so Rusty has left you some hamburger patties in the fridge. You can help yourself to the buns, so at least you won't have to worry about cooking anything when you get home. He said you could take some for your father, too if you wanted."

Sophia smiled. "Thanks, Kit. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Kit grunted, and waggled her fingers at Sophia as she slid out the front door. Locking it behind her with her copy of the main key.

Sophia watched her disappear into the night, and then turned back to her work. She called out a goodbye to Rusty as he exited out through the back door a few minutes later, and then she was finally by herself.

It was true she hadn't bothered to eat lunch during her break. In fact, her stomach had been so tied up in knots from her attempts to remain away from the members of the Pack as they had come and gone throughout the day, she hadn't thought she would have been able to stomach anything even if she had wanted to, so she hadn't even bothered. But now that the danger was over, and she had apparently managed to survive the bombardment of this day, she thought she just might actually be up for a cheeseburger before resigning herself to head back home. 

Picking up the last chair to turn upside down and place up on its respective table, she brushed her hands over her thighs and turned to walk towards the kitchen. 

A few feet away from the door, was the switch panel on the wall that controlled all of the lights within the restaurant. She flipped off most of them, leaving just a few on their lowest setting so tomorrow morning's early bird team would have enough light to see by. She then turned back around so she could slide through the swinging door into the kitchen…

And ran straight into Luke who had silently placed himself right in front of it. 

~*~*~*~*~

(rubbing hands together wickedly) Now we're getting to the parts, which were the reason for my wanting to write this darn thing in the first place. Now, you may be a little confused about how could Sophia sense the presence of all the other shapeshifters, but not Luke's… well… I'll be explaining that eventually.

I know, I know. I'm evil. But I just love cliffhangers. It allows me to see whether or not people are really paying attention to my stories. If I ever produce a cliffhanger like this, and there's no outcry of protest, then I know its time to semi-permanently shelve that particular project.

So… that would mean that now would be the time for that outcry I just mentioned. (GRIN) Make sure you review! 

Have a safe New Year's!


End file.
